San Francisco, Montreal grip travelers' hearts for Valentine's Day

In a hotels.com survey, travelers deemed San Francisco as the most charming destination in the U.S. (Andy Z./shutterstock.com)

In a survey akin to yearbook superlatives, San Francisco took the title of most 'charming' destination, while Toronto got the pity vote and was deemed the city that needs the most love.

In separate online surveys, Hotels.com asked 1,200 Canadians and 1,200 Americans which cities they fancied in advance of Valentine's Day.

Of all the cities in the U.S., San Francisco with its swoon-worthy aesthetic, charisma and easygoing persona edged out New Orleans to be named the most charming domestic destination.

In Canada, that same title went to Montreal for serving as a pocket of European life in North America, in addition to its cuisine, distinctive culture — and accent.

Paris was also top of mind for Canadian travelers as the City of Light was voted the city that was “hardest to break up with.”

“Maybe it's the blinding romantic nature of this city that makes you hold on, but whatever it is, the City of Light kept its grip on our hearts and was the first choice for Canadians.”

Paris also placed second to Montreal in the 'charm' category.

If Las Vegas was cited by both Americans and Canadians as the date you wouldn't want to introduce to your parents, quieter, more serious and sober destinations like San Diego, Denver and Seattle were chosen as the cities in which Americans would most want to settle down in — “'til death do them part.”

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For Canadian respondents, meanwhile, that city was Vancouver for its “laid back lifestyle and mild climate.” The west coast city was followed by Toronto and Paris.

And finally, Canadian respondents felt particularly bad for Toronto, which continues to make international headlines for its embattled, crack-smoking mayor and has also been battered with relentless ice storms this winter. The runner-up in this category was Calgary.

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